How to Season Cast Iron with Avocado Oil
One of the first things you need to do when you get your cast iron pan is season it. Avocado oil is one of the best oils for seasoning because of its incredibly high smoke point: 520º! For comparison, olive oil has a smoke point of 375º.
You can still season your cast iron with olive oil, but it’s not as ideal for high heat cooking and deep frying.
The only downside to avocado oil is the price. It’s quite expensive compared to other oils. But you only have to season your pan once or twice a year, so it’s worth it!
Here are eight quick steps to season your cast iron skillet with avocado oil.
Note: If your pan has a wooden handle, you’ll need to season your cast iron on the stovetop.
Table of Contents
What You Need
- ~1 tbsp avocado oil (depending on the size of the pan)
- Abrasive scrubber – sponge or scrub brush
- Dishtowel
- Dish soap
- Oven
- Sink
- Baking sheet or aluminum foil
1. Preheat your oven to 400º F.
Avocado oil has a smoke point of 520º F., so it’s important to keep the oven temperature below that. But the smoke point is so high that it’s unlikely you’ll burn your oil. You can even preheat your oven at 450º F if you’d like.
A little smoking is fine – in fact, this tells you the seasoning is working. But prolonged excessive heat will cause your avocado oil to burn.
If that happens, you’ll want to reseason the pan. When oil burns off, it becomes bitter and will impart that flavor into the pan.
2. Add a layer of foil or a baking sheet under the pan to catch drips.
3. Clean your pan thoroughly with an abrasive scrubber and dish soap.
When your cast iron pan arrives from the factory, it often has a factory coating that needs to be removed before seasoning. Scrub the pan with a scrubby sponge or steel wool and dish soap to completely remove this coating.
After you season your cast iron cookware, we don’t recommend using abrasive scrubbers to clean cast iron. But in this case, you are preparing the pan for seasoning, So scrub away!
4. Dry the pan thoroughly with a towel, then on your stovetop.
Before seasoning, you want to remove all moisture from the pan. After drying it with a towel, heat the pan up for a couple of minutes to remove the last remaining water from it.
5. Apply a thin layer of avocado oil to the entire pan: bottom, handle, sides, and interior.
Add some avocado oil into your cast iron pan and spread it with a paper towel. You don’t need to be too generous with the coating. Just make sure you cover the entire pan.
6. Bake your cast iron pan upside down in the oven for one hour.
You don’t want the avocado oil to pool in the bottom of your pan while it’s baking. Otherwise, it will come out sticky. So make sure it’s upside down!
7. Let it cool in the oven for at least 30 minutes.
8. Start cooking!
Seasoning your pan with avocado oil is that simple! Remember to reseason it twice a year. If you cook often with acidic food or do a lot of high heat cooking, you may need to season your pan more often.
You can repeat steps five to seven a few times to toughen up the layer of seasoning on your pan if you’d like. But it’s not required.
What cooks well with avocado oil?
Because of avocado oil’s high smoke point, you can bake, grill, shallow fry, and deep fry with it. You can also make delicious cast iron pizza in your skillet.
Does avocado oil become toxic when heated?
No, as long as you don’t heat it beyond 520º F. If you heat avocado oil hotter than 520º, it will burn and begin to produce harmful chemicals. Avocado oil is great for deep frying and grilling.
Can you stir fry with avocado oil?
Yes, you can stir fry with avocado oil. It’s one of the best oils to stir fry with due to its high smoke point.
Does avocado oil have to be refrigerated?
No, but you can refrigerate avocado oil to extend its shelf life by about three months. Typically unrefrigerated avocado oil lasts six to eight months after it’s been opened. In the fridge, avocado oil can last about nine to 12 months after opening it.
How long does avocado oil last?
Unopened avocado oil lasts about a year. After opening, your avocado oil will last about six to eight months. If you store it in the fridge, it can last up to a year.
What does avocado oil taste like?
Avocado oil has a mild nutty taste. Unsurprisingly, it tastes like an avocado. Most cooking oils do not have a strong flavor, as you don’t want the oil to change the flavor of your food.
We hope this article helped you season your cast iron with avocado oil. You can’t go wrong with avocado oil. It’s one of the best options for seasoning your skillet!
Learn more about cooking with cast iron in the articles below.
Related Articles
How to Season Cast Iron with Vegetable Oil
How to Season Cast Iron with Canola Oil
How to Season Cast Iron with Coconut Oil
What cooks well with avocado oil?
Because of avocado oil’s high smoke point, you can bake, grill, shallow fry, and deep fry with it. You can also make delicious cast iron pizza in your skillet.
Does avocado oil become toxic when heated?
No, as long as you don’t heat it beyond 520º F. If you heat avocado oil hotter than 520º, it will burn and begin to produce harmful chemicals. Avocado oil is great for deep frying and grilling.
Can you stir fry with avocado oil?
Yes, you can stir fry with avocado oil. It’s one of the best oils to stir fry with due to its high smoke point.
Does avocado oil have to be refrigerated?
No, but you can refrigerate avocado oil to extend its shelf life by about three months. Typically unrefrigerated avocado oil lasts six to eight months after it’s been opened. In the fridge, avocado oil can last about nine to 12 months after opening it.
How long does avocado oil last?
Unopened avocado oil lasts about a year. After opening, your avocado oil will last about six to eight months. If you store it in the fridge it can last up to a year.
What does avocado oil taste like?
Avocado oil has a mild nutty taste. Unsurprisingly, it tastes like an avocado. Most cooking oils do not have a strong flavor as you don’t want the oil to change the flavor of your food.
Comments are closed.